When             Friday, Nov. 7 at 4 p.m.
                       Saturday, Nov. 8 at 3 p.m.
Where            David S. Mack Physical Education Center | Hempstead, N.Y.
Live Stats      TowsonTigers.com
TV/Stream     MSG (Friday only) | FloCollege (Both matches)
Series            Towson trails the all-time series 42-23
 
TOWSON, Md. The Towson University volleyball team is heading to Hempstead, N.Y. to face the Hofstra Pride on the team's final road trip of the regular season. The matches are scheduled for Friday at 4 p.m. and Saturday at 3 p.m. at the David S. Mack Physical Education Center.
 
Both teams have secured berths to the 2025 CAA Volleyball Championship, hosted by Towson at SECU Arena, from Nov. 20-22. The series has big implications for tournament seeding for each team. Campbell is the only other team to punch its ticket to postseason play at this point.
 
Last Week's Recap
The Tigers hosted Stony Brook at SECU Arena in the final CAA home series of the regular season last Friday and Saturday. The Seawolves topped the Tigers in four sets both days, resulting in TU's first three-match home losing streak since Sept. 7-8, 2023.
 
Scouting the Pride
Hofstra enters the weekend at 18-2 overall and 10-2 in CAA play. The Pride currently stands atop the CAA standings and has had five players claim 11 weekly awards this season. Hofstra just edged out the Tigers in the CAA Preseason Poll, finishing second behind Charleston with 90 total points. Outside hitter Izadora Stedile and right-side hitter Clara Bal each garnered All-CAA Preseason honors. Hofstra is a stout defensive squad, holding opponents to a .104 hitting percentage, the top mark in the nation.
 
Record Book Watch
On Sept. 5 vs. Quinnipiac, libero Sydney Stewart became the 18th player in program history to eclipse 1,000 career digs. She stands fourth all-time with 1,412 total digs for the Black & Gold.
 
Stewart could also finish among the program's all-time service ace leaders when all is said and done. On Oct. 11 vs. William & Mary, she became the 17th player in program history to eclipse the century mark. She currently stands 15th all-time in program history with 107.
 
Metil Detector
Towson Head Coach Don Metil is the all-time winningest coach in program history with a 289-93 (.757) record dating back to 2013. Now in his 24th season as an NCAA head coach, Metil eclipsed 500 career wins in the Tigers' opening weekend sweep over Old Dominion. At his previous stops, Metil collected 145 wins at UMES, 15 at Coppin State, 30 at Lees-McRae and 40 at Notre Dame College.
Record breakdown
- Metil is 519-223 all-time (.699) as a head coach.
- Metil's records by school: Notre Dame College: 40-30 | Lees-McRae: 30-9 | Coppin State: 15-46 | Maryland Eastern Shore: 145-45 | Towson: 289-91
- Metil passed Cathy Cain as the all-time wins leader after knocking off No. 7 Pittsburgh on Sept. 10th, 2022.
- Don Metil: 289-93 (2013-Pres.) | Cathy Cain: 201-143 (1989-98) | Chris Riley: 144-54 (2000-05)
 
Among the Nation's Best
The Tigers own a 157-28 overall record dating back to 2019, giving them an 84.9% win percentage over the past seven seasons. That percentage lands the Tigers at 6th overall in Division I over that span, behind only Texas, Pitt, Western Kentucky, Nebraska and Wisconsin.
 
A League of Their Own
Since 2015, Towson has been one of the top teams in the CAA. The Tigers have recorded a 130-34 record (.793) in CAA regular season play since then, including a record-setting 16-0 mark in 2019.
-The Tigers finished league play 14-4 in 2024 with losses only to CAA Championship participant teams.
-Towson finished conference play at 16-2 in 2023, including their first three-set loss in league play since 2018.
-The Black & Gold finished with a 15-1 mark three seasons ago, going a perfect 8-0 at home.
-Four years ago, The Tigers went 12-4 and never got swept.
2025: 11-3 | 2024: 14-4 | 2023: 16-2 | 2022: 15-1 | 2021: 12-4 | 2021 (spring): 2-0 | 2019: 16-0 | 2018: 10-6 | 2017: 12-4 | 2016: 10-6 | 2015: 12-4 | Total: 130-34 (.793)
 
Awards Season
Stewart claimed her third consecutive CAA Defensive Player of the Week award on Oct. 6 after pacing the league with 6.83 digs per set in the Tigers' two straight-set wins over UNCW. The senior dug out 18 attacks on Saturday and 23 on Sunday.
 
Middle blocker Malinah Purcell-Telefoni earned her second weekly award of the season on Oct. 6, this time as the CAA Rookie of the Week. The freshman boasted 22 kills on a .385 hitting percentage in two road wins over Northeastern, adding five blocks and six digs.
 
Stewart claimed her second-consecutive defensive player of the week award on Oct. 6 after leading all players with 50 digs, averaging 5.56 per set in two wins over Northeastern. The senior had 29 in Friday's four-set match for a mark of 7.25 per set.
 
Stewart was named the CAA Defensive Player of the Week on Sept. 22 after totaling 53 digs over eight sets against Charleston, averaging 6.63 digs per set. The Pennsylvania native finished with match-highs of 36 on the five-set battle on Saturday and 17 in the Black & Gold's Sunday sweep.
 
Opposite hitter Ella Sanders earned a share of the CAA Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 15 following her 59 kill, 70 dig performance with three double-doubles at SECU Arena. She added five service aces and six blocks. Against Lafayette, the New Mexico product boasted 17 kills, 26 digs and 3 aces. Sanders is the lone player in the nation to post at least 15 kills, 25 digs and three service aces in a match, according to evollve.net.
 
Outside hitter Taylor Pagan was named a CAA Co-Offensive Player of the Week on Sept. 8 after posting 60 kills on a .307 hitting percentage in the Tigers' 4-0 weekend hosting the Towson-Morgan State Invitational, including a career-high 23 kills vs. Kent State. The Colorado State transfer finished the weekend with two double-doubles, totaling 14 kills and 10 digs vs. Quinnipiac and 15 kills and 13 digs vs. New Orleans.
 
Purcell-Telefoni earned the CAA Defensive Player of the Week nod on Sept. 8 after totaling 25 blocks in the Tigers' perfect weekend. She was productive on both sides of the ball, averaging 2.83 and 1.67 blocks per set in the Tigers' four wins. The freshman posted 25 kills on a .353 hitting percentage and added five service aces.
 
Protect this House
Since moving into SECU Arena full-time in 2013, Towson has racked up an impressive 142-32 (.816) overall record at home. That total includes CAA Championship matches played at SECU Arena.
- The Tigers finished the 2025 regular season with a 13-3 record at home.
- The Black & Gold finished the 2024 regular season 16-1 in the arena.
- The Tigers have nine seasons with double-digit wins, including a perfect 16-0 mark in 2022 and a 17-1 mark in 2021. In three of the 12 seasons in the arena, the Tigers didn't play at least 10 matches at home.
- Dating back to 2019, the Black & Gold have amassed an 88-10 (.898) record in the arena.
 
How to Say It: TOWSON
TOWSON is pronounced TOW like towel + Son.
 
IT IS NOT: TOE-son, Townson, Towsond, Townsend, Townsen, Towzen. One N, no Z.
 
We are Towson University, no longer Towson State University (and haven't been since July 1, 1997).
 
Our mascot is Doc the Tiger, named after Donald "Doc" Minnegan, long-time soccer coach and athletics department administrator. Towson became the "Tigers" in 1962 after John Schuerholz (yes, the Atlanta Braves Hall of Fame General Manager) pushed for the name change from the "Towson College Knights".